Joe Manganiello has disputed his ex-wife Sofía Vergara's "false" explanation for their divorce.
The True Blood actor and Modern Family actress were married for seven years until 2023, and the Colombian star later alleged that they divorced because he wanted children and she didn't want any more.
In his new book, Bloodlines, Manganiello disputed her version of events, claiming that he eventually gave up on the idea during his seven-year battle with an autoimmune illness.
After failed IVF attempts made them consider egg donors, the 49-year-old decided that he didn't want to die and leave his partner with a child "who wasn't biologically hers".
Manganiello told People that writing the memoir was his way of setting the record straight, saying, "There were things said and printed about me that were false."
In Bloodlines, the Magic Mike actor revealed that his health began to deteriorate shortly after their 2015 wedding. He suffered from excruciating abdominal pain that left him unable to walk, as well as fevers, blistering rashes, headaches and fatigue.
Over those seven years, during which he was never given a definitive diagnosis, Manganiello lost a lot of weight, underwent numerous colonoscopies and had part of his intestines removed during emergency surgery in 2016.
His health battle took a toll on his marriage, which he claimed had "become devoid of any emotionality whatsoever", with Vergara allegedly refusing to hug him.
After undergoing surgery to reconnect his digestive tract, Manganiello is now symptom-free and off medication, and is now engaged to actress Caitlin O'Connor, 37.
As for whether they will have children, the actor said, "If that's meant for me... For seven years I thought I was going to be dead the next week. The world has opened back up to me."
"I can't believe I'm alive," he added. "I feel like I was reborn."
Vergara has yet to respond publicly to Manganiello's claims in Bloodlines, which will be released on 13 October.
